Osteospermum ecklonis cultivar Sunny Diana.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant, botanically known as Osteospermum ecklonis, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Sunny Dianaxe2x80x99.
The new Osteospermum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Osteospermum cultivars with attractive ray and disc floret colors.
The new Osteospermum originated from a cross made by the Inventor in May, 1997 of a proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 3.44.97, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number 1.44.92, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Osteospermum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Odense, Denmark in June, 2000.
Asexual reproduction of the new Osteospermum by terminal vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Odense, Denmark in June, 2000. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Osteospermum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Sunny Diana has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Sunny Dianaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Sunny Dianaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Osteospermum:
1. Upright plant habit.
2. Freely branching growth habit.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Pale yellow-colored ray florets.
Plants of the new Osteospermum differ from plants of the parents primarily in ray floret color.
Plants of the new Osteospermum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Seidacre, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/996,362. However, plants of the new Osteospermum are more upright, have larger leaves, have larger inflorescences, and have lighter colored ray florets than plants of the cultivar Seidacre.